SUMMARY
In two federal courts, a group of protesters received unusually long sentences after the Justice Department accused them of being members of Antifa. These nine protesters were arrested after they demonstrated outside a migrant detention facility in Texas. During the protest, a police officer was shot and survived. Justice correspondent Ali Rogin discussed more with former federal prosecutor Paul Butler.
View the transcript of the story.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
News alternative: Check our recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who were the people arrested as described in this segment?
- What is Antifa, according to this segment?
- Why were protestors sentenced to such heavy jail sentences?
- How did the murder of Charlie Kirk impact the focus given toward domestic terrorism cases brought by the Department of Justice?
- What is the goal of President Trump's directive, National Security Presidential Memo 7?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
- Why do you think anti-ICE protestors are being labeled as domestic terrorists by the Department of Justice?
- Why do you think the prison sentences (50-100 years) were so lengthy? Do you agree with the length of the sentences? Explain.
- How do you think the National Security Presidential Memo 7 will impact Americans' desire to protest?
Media literacy:
Read over Trump's tweet regarding action to be taken against individuals who are subject to have broken the rules implemented by his directive from 2025, the National Security Presidential Memo 7. After students finish reading, they should answer the following questions:
- Why do you believe that Trump is calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to handle these matters?
- Who is Trump primarily targeting with the directive?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Read over the following article that helps better understand the goals set for National Security Presidential Memo 7.
After you finish reading, create a list of all the protest activities that the memo seems to target. Then discuss — how does the targeted actions on the list impact First Amendment rights to speak, associate and protest?
Written by PBS News Hour Classroom intern Justin Vasquez and PBS News Hour's Victoria Pasquantonio
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